So you want to learn to perform the Bicep Slicer, or the Bicep Cutter (whatever you want to call it.) But you don’t want to just learn it, you want to perform it correctly and effectively. What if I were to tell you that you can do that if you read this article? Would you read it or skip to the next one?
I’m confident this article will allow you to learn and master the Bicep Slicer appropriately. It’ll teach you the fundamentals you need to know in order to start getting results with it. There’s no better way to refuel your motivation tank than to force your BJJ opponent to tap out.
So what will this article cover? First, we’ll see what the Bicep Slicer is. We’ll then follow up with clear instructions to perform it. We’ll continue by reviewing 4 of its most effective variations, including clear instructions for performing each one.
And finally, we’ll wrap up the article with some tips and even an escape you want to know about, as you might end up stuck in the same position you so desire to achieve.
I want you to start practicing the Bicep Slicer already. So without further intro, let’s dive in.
What Is the Bicep Slicer?
We’re now in the first part of this article. It’s critical you don’t skip any section, as I always include Ninja tips you want to know before you start practicing. I also review common mistakes many grapplers make, which stops them from seeing results that often.
The Bicep Slicer is a submission, which is primarily taught in BJJ, that utilizes bicep, forearm, and elbow pressure to force the grappler to tap out quickly. It can be an excruciating submission, especially if you use the right grips, mostly including the Gable Grip and the Triangle Lock (with your legs.)
I’m a big fan of this submission because of the amount of damage it can cause. Some grapplers are frightened by the fact that it can seriously hurt someone, especially if you apply too much force, which isn’t as much as you think.
This submission uses leverage to your advantage. Essentially, the amount of force you’ll apply won’t be the amount of pain and pressure your opponent will feel. Instead, your opponent will experience higher pressure and physical pain than the amount of force you apply.
If that doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what will.
It’s time we dive into the practical steps to performing the Bicep Slicer. The variation we’ll review is, perhaps, the first one you want to learn, as it’s the simplest and will provide you with the best foundation moving forward.
So let’s dive in!
How to Perform the Bicep Slicer
This is how the article is going to flow in the upcoming two sections. We’ll now review the very fundamentals of performing the Bicep Cutter from the Closed Guard position. And in the following section, we’ll review 4 different variations you want to start learning in your BJJ journey, regardless if you’re a white, blue, or purple belt.
You want to start in Closed Guard, grab the opponent’s wrist, and hook your right arm around the same arm you just grabbed to perform the Bicep Slicer. Then, you bring his isolated arm between your legs while hooking your right leg around his arm. Finally, you lock a Triangle Lock and extend your legs to finish.
This is just the tip of the fork, as you can imagine. There’s so much more to performing the Bicep Slicer accordingly, which we’ll review in the following part (stay tuned for that.)
If you perform the Bicep Slicer correctly, you’ll be able to generate tons of pressure and cause a lot of stress and force on the opponent’s arm and elbow. He will simply be forced to tap out because there will be extreme amounts of physical pain, which is what a good submission will do.
Here’s something for you to think about; this is a dangerous submission, which we’ll review why later. Therefore, you must be careful with the pressure and force you apply to your training partner. Remember, BJJ isn’t about causing permanent damage but disabling and limiting the opponent’s movements.
Bicep Slicer Variations
Now, fellas, we’re in the most important part of the article. This is where you’ll learn to perform the Bicep Slicer from 4 positions. Learning all of these will make you a more dynamic, adaptive, and capable fighter—who has more attacking options.
The more options you have, the more control you’ll gain in the fight. And BJJ is all about control, so it’s definitely an advantage you want to attain.
So without further ado, let’s dive into variation #1, which is from the Full Mount position.
#1 – Bicep Slicer From Mount
The first variant of the Bicep Cutter we’ll review—is from the Full Mount position. If you have never heard of it, it’ll be worth it to go to the end of this section and follow the link that points to a guide I wrote about this position.
Anyways, the Mount position is one of BJJ’s most dominant ones, as it allows you endless attacking options and a lot of control simultaneously. Both these attributes—are the recipe for more wins in BJJ.
Here’s how to perform the Bicep Slicer from the Mount position:
- Start in Mount
- Walk your right arm up, with the opponent’s left arm
- Pull his left elbow to the side
- Lean your head aside his elbow
- Slide your left arm toward the right
- Take his left arm toward his right arm
- Hook his left arm with your right hand
- Grab your right biceps
- Lean forward using your entire body weight
- Lock your Gable Grip across his triceps
- Push your hands down
- Get the tap
To learn more about the Full Mount position and more ways to attack from it, follow the link. To learn more about Mount submissions you must learn to call yourself a grappler, follow the second link!
#2 – Bicep Slicer From Closed Guard
The 2nd variation we’ll review—is from the Closed Guard position. This is the most popular one, as it’s the easiest to learn and understand as your first one. That’s why I recommend learning it first.
Guard positions are highly effective and useful positions you want to learn about. You have many types of guards you want to learn, such as De La Riva, Spider, and Single Leg X. To learn more about the best types of guards in BJJ that you want to familiarize yourself with, follow the link.
So here’s how this variation goes:
- Start in Closed Guard
- Grab the opponent’s wrist (left hand)
- Hook your right arm around his arm
- Grab your left hand
- Bring the arm you isolated between your legs
- Hook your right leg around his arm
- Kick your left leg up
- Lock a Triangle Lock with your legs
- Lock a Gable Grip with your hands
- Pinch your legs
- Extend your legs
- Get the tap
If you want to learn more about the Closed Guard position and how to use it properly, follow this link. And if you want to learn more about attacks from the Closed Guard position, follow the second link.
#3 – Bicep Slicer From Knee on Belly
The Knee on Belly position is one you must learn to learn to transition from different positions, such as from Side Control to North-South Choke. It opens you up to many attacking options, which in turn makes you unexpected.
This variation is one you want to learn, as it allows you to finish a fight quickly and unexpectedly. These two are the perfect combination for a solid submission, which will allow you to get force the opponent to tap quickly.
And again, it’s an excruciating experience to be on the other side of this submission. If you want to see how painful it is yourself, ask a training partner you trust to execute it on you. See how painful it is and you’ll appreciate it much more than you do now.
Here are the steps to performing the Bicep Slicer from the Knee on Belly position:
- Start in Knee on Belly
- Pull the opponent toward you
- Base your left foot by his hip
- Step with your right foot and hook his right biceps
- Lock his same biceps with your other leg
- Turn to the other side
- Sit
- Finish by applying pressure on his isolated biceps
- Get the tap
If you want to learn more about the Knee on Belly position, follow the first link. Likewise, to learn more attacks from the Knee on Belly, follow the second link.
#4 – Bicep Slicer From Bottom Side Control
And lastly, we have a transition from bottom Side Control, a known inferior position in BJJ, to the Bicep Slicer and the victory.
I absolutely am a fan of submissions that start in inferior positions and end up in a victory. The last thing your opponent expects you to try is an attack from an inferior position. Let’s say you’re in bottom Mount, the consensus here is that you’ll be on the defensive.
But you can still attack if you learn proper ways of doing so. The Bicep Slicer is an excellent submission to perform from bottom Side Control; here’s how:
- Start at bottom Side Control
- Hook your right arm around the opponent’s left shoulder
- Grab his back with your left hand
- Slide your left forearm across his neck
- Twist your hips to the right
- The opponent pushes your leg down
- Grab his right wrist with your left hand
- Kick your right leg across his forearm
- Lock a Triangle with your left leg
- Push your legs
- Get the tap
To learn more about the Side Control position, follow this link. And if you want to study attacks from top Side Control, follow the second link.
And these are the 4 variations you want to learn. If you’re serious about your BJJ journey, I recommend bookmarking this article. You’ll have easy access to return to any variation you want and practice it solely. It can be overwhelming to learn all variations simultaneously. That’s why I encourage you to bookmark this article to boost your BJJ progression rate.
Are Bicep Slicers Illegal in BJJ?
To answer the question of whether Bicep Slicers are legal in BJJ, we must first understand the background. When you apply pressure on the opponent’s biceps, what you’re doing (if you perform the submission properly) is pulling the ligaments and tendons of the joint apart.
I once heard a comparison that helped me understand why this is a dangerous move. When you take an unbreakable nut and put it in a nutcracker, you can squeeze as much as you want, but it won’t break. However, if you apply enough pressure on it, it’ll eventually break apart.
This is a great parallel to the bicep. With enough pressure, you can tear the opponent’s biceps and cause some serious permanent damage. So let’s now answer the question:
Bicep Slicers are legal from the brown belt, in most official tournaments. However, in others, they’re completely illegal or legal from the purple belt. Therefore, it’s illegal to use in official competitions if you’re a white or blue belt. On the other hand, purple (for the most part), brown and black belts can use it.
I’ve stumbled upon an extremely interesting video that explains how the Bicep Slicer works and why it’s so potent. I encourage you to watch it to understand more about the anatomy of this submission.
Bicep Slicer Tips
You’re now two parts away from knowing to fundamentals of the Bicep Slicer. I hope you’re excited, as I sure am! Writing about BJJ is always more enjoyable to me because I get to learn while being a part of other grapplers’ journeys. This is satisfying and purposeful for me, so I enjoy it.
Anyways, this part will cover 3 tips you want to implement in your learning journey. They’ll help you (1) learn each variation faster, and (2) get comfortable with them.
Here’s the first one!
Tip #1 – This is a painful submission, use this knowledge
The first tip is to understand something about this submission. It’s extremely painful. Some of its variations also act like chokes, as they apply a lot of pressure on either the neck or the lungs, forcing the opponent to tap because of a lack of air.
Once you understand just how unbearable of an experience the Bicep Cutter is, you’ll begin to appreciate the options it opens up to you. What’s the opponent’s reaction when he’ll see you almost got his arm isolated with a Triangle Lock? Most likely, it’ll be to panic.
So you can utilize the fact that most of your opponents will be terrified of this submission, which means that you have more options once you begin executing it.
Tip #2 – Use a neutral forearm
The 2nd tip is an advanced one, but I think you can handle it. When you examine the forearm, in general, it’s most tight when it’s in a neutral position. If you’re unfamiliar with how to examine a body part, you have the supination and pronation stances. So the neutral position is in the middle.
Take your left arm and place it on your right forearm. Then, shift your right forearm from supination to pronation. Finally, transition your forearm into a neutral stance. What do you experience? When is your forearm the tightest?
You probably have noticed that the neutral position is the tightest. That means that we can interpret that into our own Bicep Slicer execution. Make sure the opponent’s forearm is in a neutral stance, and not in pronation or supination, to cause the most damage.
But again, this is an advanced tip!
Tip #3 – Learn all the variations
The last tip is to learn all the variations. This is a critical one to understand, especially if you desire to become a more capable grappler. The more variations of an attack you know, the more comfortable you are with it.
Therefore, it’s important that you learn all the variations throughout your BJJ journey. Don’t get me wrong, the last thing I’m suggesting is to learn all of them at once; not at all.
That’s why bookmarking this article is something I encourage you to do. It’ll allow you to have access to this guide again, which will help you remember and develop muscle memory for each of the variations I’ve mentioned.
Bicep Slicer Escape
For the last part of this article, let’s now review the other side of the coin. What if you get caught in a Bicep Slicer and want to escape? In that case, there’s one escape I’ve found most successful and simple to execute.
You want to attack the opponent’s arms to escape the Bicep Slicer once your opponent has your arm locked. You can do that by sending your free arm below his arms and grabbing his ribs. Then, you go for the Straight Arm Lock on the arm that’s closer to your body.
That will force him to either tap or release his arm lock. He chooses.
Final Words
This was the Bicep Slicer, including many variations from a few positions. I had two goals with this article: (A) teach you the basics of this submission, and (B) get you excited to get on the mat and start rolling.
After all, there’s no better way to progress in your BJJ journey than to get on the mat and do the work. Remember, there’s no replacement for old-school practice; reading is seldom enough.
Alright. Good luck!
The Bicep Slicer is a great submission from the Knee on Belly position, but it’s not the best one. Follow this link to learn which submissions in BJJ are best from the Knee on Belly position.
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
BJJ 101: D’arce Choke (Lots of Variations)
BJJ 101: Brabo Choke (Perform with Precision)
Baseball Bat Choke 101 – BJJ Grappling Guide
Mastering the Triangle Choke – Complete BJJ Guide
Mastering the Armbar – The Ultimate BJJ 101 Guide